David is originally from La Paz, Bolivia, and he met his wife, Jessica (a Knoxville native) in La Paz while he was leading a nonprofit organization that worked with people experiencing homelessness in La Paz. David immigrated to Knoxville, Tennessee in 2006 when he and Jessica were married. Together they have 2 children and have lived in Knoxville’s historic neighborhoods since 2013.
David studied Agricultural Engineering at Universidad Mayor San Andres in La Paz and was 25 years old, fresh out of college, and didn’t speak any English when he moved to Knoxville. After adjusting to a new culture and learning a new language, David landed in a financial/business career. In 2009, he took a brief hiatus from the financial sector to work for two years at Volunteer Ministry Center, serving the local homeless population. In 2011, David returned to finance and started a job with a local bank where he has made a career and currently serves as a Vice President and manages a business unit for FirstBank. David has volunteered in the community for many years and has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity, WOW Urban Ministries, Saint John’s Lutheran Church, and currently he is serving on the board with Centro Hispano, he is a Big Brother to Juan through BBBS, and he is a soccer coach with the Emerald Force Academy Soccer program.
